If Only You Could See
by HeartAke
Summary: Forced to again persuade Kagome to return to the feudal age, Inuyasha encounters a deadly remnant from a more dangerous past; one that caries with it a terrifying tale of what is yet to come. [chapter 7 up]
1. Chapter 1

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I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I own any of the characters associated with Inuyasha.

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Stretched out underneath the midday sun, Miroku sat studying the palm of his right hand. He had felt his Wind Tunnel widen that morning, and his mind couldn't help but wander to the fears that he had spent his entire life trying to overcome.

His father's Wind Tunnel wasn't much larger than his was now, and with each passing day he could feel the nothingness grow a little bit faster. Miroku was running out of time, and with him would die Naraku's curse; the journey to produce an heir being still unsuccessful.

Carefully passing the fingers of his left hand over the covered palm of his right, Miroku gently sighed; he expected to die within the year.

But only with the power of his curse could he hope to defeat Naraku and save himself, and only by opening the darkness within himself to the outside world, could he hope to protect those he had become so very close to. By no other means than letting the nothingness within consume his very being, could he save the only woman he had ever felt anything for, only by giving up his own life could Sango live – and he had no regrets for it.

_Perhaps life is not to be measured in the number of moments spent, but in the quality of those moments,_ Miroku thought. _If I were to live a hundred years, I would not have lived but one if Sango were not here by my side, as she is here now. Why can't Inuyasha seem to understand how precious each and every moment really is? Instead of bringing Kagome back to our era, he has given in to the arrogance of his own pride,_ Miroku thought as he watched Sango lay on the grass beside him

Feeling Miroku's eyes on her, Sango casually moved her head to pierce into his enticing gaze, and Miroku couldn't help but to enjoy the quiet and relaxed feeling that flowed between them. He was glad that he had lived long enough to experience this one, precious moment; if nothing else.

In the distance Miroku could see Inuyasha starring towards the direction of the Bone Eater's Well, and no matter how at peace he may have felt lying next to Sango underneath the soft rays of the sun, he couldn't overlook the fact that he knew Inuyasha was in pain without Kagome.

"I won't be long," Miroku said as he lifted himself off the ground and walked through the village towards Inuyasha.

As if protecting himself from some kind of danger that was unseen to human eyes, the Hanyou sat high up in the thick branches of an Alder tree, his legs casually curled up underneath his body.

"You miss Kagome, don't you?" Miroku gently spoke towards Inuyasha as he stood next to the base of the tree. "She is probably as scared to come back as you are to go after her. So why don't you be the courageous one and ask her to return to our era. The more time you two spend apart, the more you hurt yourselves."

"And what would you know of it Monk?" Inuyasha barked. "What would you know of anything?"

Glaring first at Sango, and then at his right hand, Miroku answered Inuyasha. "I know that time is precious; far too precious to waste a single moment."

"Miroku…?" Inuyasha said as he slowly began to understand the connections underlying his friend's words. Unable to put his thoughts into an accurate structure, Inuyasha fought through ever syllable, "I'm not like you," he quietly said.

"I wish you were like me. Then perhaps you would be able to understand what it means to know that time is not infinite," and with those last words left hanging in Inuyasha's ear, Miroku returned to Sango.

I wish you could see the hand that destiny has dealt you, Miroku thought as he looked towards Sango. _Only through nightmares, can one appreciate what they are given in life._


	2. Chapter 2

The red and silver outline of Inuyasha's body flashed against the afternoon sun as he dashed from the Bone Eaters Well to the roof of the nearby house. Peering down from his perch next to the rain gutter, Inuyasha twisted his body to gaze into the open window of Kagome's room.

She was not there, and yet the fragrance of her lingering smell clung strongly to everything it had come into contact with; and as Inuyasha breathed in her scent, he knew that he had made the right decision to come after her. There was something about the way she smelled that always reassured him that putting his heart out on the line was always worth the risk; the strong scent of hairspray and citrus orange moisturizer barely masking something softer, and natural.

Grasping his hand against the bolting of the rain gutter, Inuyasha swung his body into Kagome's room through the open window. Quietly nudging the door open, Inuyasha moved out of Kagome's bedroom and followed her scent down the hallway towards the closed door at the very end of the corridor.

Upon realizing that it was locked, Inuyasha dashed back towards Kagome's room and leapt out through the window onto the roof. Tiptoeing across the shingles, Inuyasha judged the distance towards the locked room and let his body fall from the roof onto the window ledge. Although a large piece of fabric lay against the glass preventing Inuyasha from looking into the contents of the room, the window had not been properly latched shut, and by sliding it upwards, he managed to slip in.

"Sit Boy!" Kagome screamed as she buried her body into the creamy white bubbles of the bath.

"What the hell did you do that for!" Inuyasha roared as he picked his throbbing red face off the ground.

"What are you doing here!" Kagome roared back.

"I came looking for you, but if this is the kind of reaction I thought I was going to get, I never would have wasted my time coming to get a stupid moron like you!"

"I heard screaming," Kagome's mother said through the door of the bathroom. "Is everything alright in there?"

"Yes mom," Kagome calmed herself down to say. "I just stubbed my toe," she lied.

"I'm glad that is all it was," she responded through the door. "Do you think that you will be alright while I go pick up grandpa at Souta's soccer practice."

"I'll be fine mom," Kagome said as she peered towards the defiant Inuyasha. "Get out of here," she half whispered, half hollered at him.

"Only you can detect the jewel shards, so I'm not going anywhere until you come back with me," Inuyasha said once he had heard Kagome's mother shut the front entrance and leave the house.

"That's fine, but could you at least leave the bathroom long enough for me to get dressed." Reluctantly, although he didn't show it, Inuyasha turned to leave the room.

With his back leaning against the wall next to the bathroom door, Inuyasha waited for Kagome to finish. After a few short moments, Kagome opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, her body covered in a pair of light pink sleep wear, a cartoon bunny smiling from cheek to cheek across her rear.

"Are you wearing that," Inuyasha blurted. "I would like to see you try and run in that back in my era."

"Who says I'm coming back to your era?" Kagome scolded. Then, raising her head high above herself and glaring down at the annoyed hanyou out of the lower corners of her eyes, Kagome spoke with passive aggressive pride, "I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore."

"What! Don't be stupid Kagome!" Inuyasha fussed.

"I don't believe you!" Kagome hollered as fire began to burn in her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere until you apologize for what you did back in the feudal era, as well as what you said just now."

"Fine, I'm sorry!" Inuyasha yelled as he grabbed Kagome's arm and began to pull her in the direction of the bone eaters well.

"Let go of me!" Kagome yelled back as she tore her arm out of Inuyasha's grasp. "I'm not going anywhere until you apologize; and mean it!"

"Alright then," he said before taking a short moment to calm himself, and to soften the expresion in his eyes. "I'm sorry that I hurt you Kagome, and I should hope you know that I would never want to do anything that would make you question how very much you matter to me," he said, his voice gentle and sincere.

"You still don't mean it."

"What the hell do you want from me wench!" Inuyasha lost his fragile sense of control.

"I want you to stop protecting yourself from me!" she screamed in anger.

Kagome's words caught Inuyasha completely off guard, and for that brief moment suspended his emotions in midair. "I'm sorry," he said before pulling his eyes away from her. He wasn't sure why, but he couldn't bring himself to look at her.

"Inuyasha," Kagome softly said as she raised her hand to let it rest against his shoulder. "Thank you."

"Feh," Inuyasha said, his voice low in gentle solitude.

"I just want to spend one night in my own comfy bed, but first thing tomorrow I promise I will go back. Is that alright," she asked.

"I suppose that's ok," Inuyasha answered before he turned his back to Kagome and started to head in the direction of the bone eaters well – by himself. Then, as if frozen in time, Inuyasha stopped. He could sense the smell of evil hanging in the air.


	3. Chapter 3

The stench of humanity had always irritated Sesshoumaru, but he found that the smell was especially putrid now that he was powerless against them.

The human race had advanced greatly since the time of his father, and the insolent creatures had become so powerful that now they even began to question the existence of something greater than themselves.

The time of retribution was coming; he could smell it in the air. Himself, and all other youkai like him, were tired of hiding; tired of being afraid. Soon the flames of vengeance would burn and the world would be as it was before. Soon – humanity would be defeated. Soon he could forsake the disguise of mortality and proclaim to the world that he was youkai; soon the world would tremble before him, as it had before.

All these thoughts flashed through Sesshoumaru's mind as he walked amongst the retched vermin. These disdainful creatures were stronger than he was, and only through the spilling of their vile blood could balance again be restored to the world.

But the revolution would have to wait, the stench of something far more urgent clung in the air; something more personal, and even more shameful.

The same tainted smell had defiled his senses many times before, but not since the killing of his father's shame had this scent penetrated so strongly into his nostrils. There could be no mistake about it, it was the stench of Inuyasha.

_I don't know what power has brought you back into the world of the living_, Sesshoumaru thought as he casually turned away from the main street of the city and followed Inuyasha's scent towards a temple complex that dominated the immediate view. _But even if I have to kill you a thousand times over, I will wipe your polluted blood from this earth._

Passing the clawed fingers of his right hand over the grips of the two swords he held concealed within the left side of his thick coat, Sesshoumaru smirked. Surely the protective properties of the Tenseiga would be of little use against such a weak enemy, and he would not kill Inuyasha with the Toukijin.

_No_, he thought as he grasped his left hand firmly against the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. _It would only be fitting for you to die by the very blade that you have defeated me with countless times over, it would only be fitting for you to die by the weapon that father crafted with the sole intention to protect your feeble self. I will not allow you to leave this world any other way._

_ Ironic is it not, little brother. For only with my blood pulsing through your veins, can I wield the weapon father intended for you to have_, Sesshoumaru thought as he studied the clawed fingers of his left hand. _I remember the shame of having my body hacked apart by you, a worthless half-breed; it is only fitting that I replace the arm you so ignobly cut from my body, with your very flesh._

Stepping off of the granite stones of the temple's stairs and onto the soft grass of the garden, Sesshoumaru withdrew the transformed Tetsusaiga. With his focused golden eyes glaring towards the nearby house that radiated so strongly of the hanyou's blood, Sesshoumaru gracefully passed the edge of his sword through the clear air and summoned up a terrible force of pounding pressure.

As the force of the wind pushed forwards against the wall of the house and quickly tore its supports apart, Sesshoumaru smirked.

"I've come for your blood, little brother."


	4. Chapter 4

Kagome fell from the second floor with a hard crash and landed in the center of the wasteland that used to be her home.

Lifting her dirt coated body out from underneath the weight of furniture and drywall; Kagome opened her eyes to the destruction all around her. Only a few paces away from where her injured body had fallen, stood Inuyasha; his eyes sternly focused on the shape of a silver haired man that stood just outside the radius of devastation.

Rubbing her dirty forearm across her eyes, Kagome managed to look past the fog of dust that obscured her vision, and slowly came to realize who Inuyasha gazed upon with such ferocity; and she became afraid. Although the purple marks on his face had somehow vanished, and his ears had become more human like, it was unmistakable. Standing before her in black khakis and a loosely hanging dress coat, was Sesshoumaru - the destroyer of life.

"Little brother, I thought that was you I smelled," Sesshoumaru said as he casually stepped off the grass and onto the pile of broken and splintered wood. Raising his sword behind his head, he coldly smiled as he walked towards Inuyasha. "Please satisfy my curiosity, how is it that you have returned from the world of the dead?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Inuyasha hollered as he gleamed towards the transformed Tetsusaiga held in Sesshoumaru's intact left arm.

Nothing in Kagome's understanding allowed her comprehend what force could have brought Sesshoumaru into her world, however from the inquiring expression on his face, she could tell that he was as unsure of Inuyasha as she was of him.

For seemingly endless moments she watched the two stand only a short dash away from one another, each poised for a battle that would come all too quickly, and be all too bloody.

"Enough of this!" Sesshoumaru barked as he dashed forwards and swung his sword to slash at Inuyasha. Drawing his weapon, Inuyasha blocked his brother's attack with the full force of his own Tetsusaiga. With their weapons locked against each other, and their eyes starring into the cold expression on one another's face, both warriors jumped backwards to be away from the deadlock.

As quickly as if he had wielded the Tetsusaiga for a hundred years, Sesshoumaru summoned up a powerful force of wind energy and knocked Inuyasha hard against the ground.

Casually walking forwards to the point where his brother had fallen, Sesshoumaru came to stand over Inuyasha, and pressed the pointed tip of his sword against his half-brother's throat. "I will not kill you like this," Sesshoumaru said with a vicious gleam in his eyes. "For all of these endless years I have longed for the chance to play upon your death, as a cat plays with a mouse. I have never been able to forgive myself for finishing you swiftly and without pleasure; and I have vowed that should I ever have your ghost within my grasp, I would savor your death, and make it last the leant of your every strained breath." Removing the blade of his sword from Inuyasha's neck, Sesshoumaru stepped backwards. "Get up, I have not tired of you yet."

Rising to his feet, Inuyasha grasped the Tetsusaiga firmly in his hands and stood directly opposite of Sesshoumaru. "You should have finished me when you had the chance!" Inuyasha screamed as he lunged at his brother.

Swiftly dashing to the side, Sesshoumaru dodged his brother's mad charge. As Inuyasha stumbled forwards in the absence of his target, Sesshoumaru swung the blunt edge of his sword around to strike Inuyasha in the back of his head, and again sent the hanyou against the ground with a loud crash.

"The underworld has made you soft and reckless," Sesshoumaru said. "This is not the glorious battle I had envisioned it would be."

"Why don't you just shut up!" Inuyasha barked as he braced himself against the Tetsusaiga to help lift his body into a standing position.

_When the flow of dark energy collides with the wind, a riff can form. _**"Wind Scar!"** Inuyasha screamed as a massive pulse of yellow energy radiated from the moving blade of the Tetsusaiga.

"Who do you think I am?" Sesshoumaru hollered as he passed his own Tetsusaiga through the air and summoned up an equal and opposite Wind Scar. The opposing forces clashed somewhere between the two brothers, and in a brilliant explosion of florescent golden light – neutralized one another.

Dashing forwards through the cover of smoky destruction, Sesshoumaru grasped Inuyasha's skull in his powerful right hand and lifted his brother off the ground. With a deadly green poison seeping from his hands and burning into his screaming brother's face, Sesshoumaru threw Inuyasha across the splintered remains of the Higarashi Shrine.

With his body rapidly sliding across the broken and twisted debris, Inuyasha came to a stop only a breath's distance away from where Kagome lay hidden behind a pile of scattered rubble.

Patting his clawed hands against his clothes as he rose to his feet, Inuyasha brushed the light spray of dust off of himself, and for the first time since being attacked by his brother, noticed Kagome. "Please be careful Inuyasha," Kagome said as she looked towards his bloodied and poison burnt form.

"Don't you worry about nothing Kagome," Inuyasha said. "I'm just getting warmed up, that's all."

Pressing her hands against Inuyasha's shoulders, and watching her tear stained expression in the golden reflection of his eyes, Kagome embraced him for what she thought may become their last shared moment. "I don't want you to get yourself killed on account of your pride, can't you understand how very much you matter to me; you are living for more than just yourself you know."

"Kagome, I…"

"You should be paying attention to me!" Sesshoumaru hollered as he came out of nowhere and wrapped the clawed fingers of his right hand around Inuyasha's neck and again lifted him off the ground. With a quick motion of his wrist, Sesshoumaru swung the blunt edge of his Tetsusaiga against Inuyasha's right arm, and caused him to drop his sword. Letting the poison seep from the palm of his hand and burn into the flesh of Inuyasha's neck, Sesshoumaru held his weakened brother suspended in the air.

"Sit Boy!" Kagome screamed, and the power of the rosaries around Inuyasha's neck sent him tearing from Sesshoumaru's grasp. With his injured body pressed against the ground, Inuyasha reached out towards the hilt of his fallen sword and swung at Sesshoumaru's legs.

Somersaulting backward out of Inuyasha's reach, Sesshoumaru avoided the attack. Had it been within his capacity, he would have laughed at the futility of it all. None of Inuyasha's clever tricks would amount to anything in the end.

"I could have gotten out of that myself you know," Inuyasha commented to Kagome, his eyes never leaving his brother.

"It was all I could think to do," Kagome remarked as she looked towards the severely injured and utterly exhausted Inuyasha, and then at the cold and relaxed Sesshoumaru.

"Just look at the way you pant with every long breath, you have already lost your passion for battle," Sesshoumaru said as he dashed towards his brother, and swung his blade against Inuyasha's.

Both Tetsusaiga's clashed against each other with a loud clang of metal against metal, and with a quick motion of his right hand, Sesshoumaru summoned up his razor whip and struck its sharp edge across Inuyasha's face until he was forced to withdraw.

As Inuyasha backed off, Sesshoumaru swung the blunt edge of his sword upwards and caught his brother under the chin, sending him flying backwards through the air.

Inuyasha's body flew hard against the ground beside Kagome; and although nothing could have taken from him his will to survive, he did not have the strength enough to rise to his feet.

Looking down onto the broken form of the hanyou that had always protected her in times of danger, Kagome found solace in the realization of her own impending death. Even though Kagome had never given up hope on him before, she knew that he did not have long left in this world, and from the way Sesshoumaru's eyes gleamed in satisfaction, she also knew that that time would be the worse kind of torture, and last all too long.

Forcing himself to again rise to his feet, Inuyasha looked past the blood in his eyes, and stood for the sake of defiance alone.

"I've tired of you!" Sesshoumaru said as he dashed forwards and thrust his clawed right hand into Inuyasha's chest. Holding the inside of Inuyasha's body on the edges of his fingers, Sesshoumaru injected a poisonous vapor into his brother's veins. As Inuyasha began to scream in agony from the effects of the poison, Sesshoumaru smirked. "I have released my poison into your body, it will burn through you from the inside out; and quite slowly I'm afraid."

The poison seeped deeper and deeper into Inuyasha's body, and with each beat of his fading heart, it brought him that much closer to the point of death. Unable to control the pain of the venom cutting through his arteries and burning his tissues from the inside, Inuyasha screamed in pain before falling to the ground – his body unable to move.

"Your death is so much sweeter this time," Sesshoumaru said as he walked towards his brother. "Do you not remember that day I found you waiting beside that very well over there those countless years ago," he said as he motioned towards the direction of the Bone Eaters Well. "I killed you swiftly, and took this sword from your cold dead hands. But even with the blade of destruction in my grasp, I was unable to wield it. So I used the sword that father had so disgracefully given me to revive your flesh, and then cut from you the one thing that I needed," raising both the transformed Tetsusaiga and his left arm high it the air, he continued to speak. "With one slice I both regained the limb that you had taken from me, as well as the power of father's sword – I must thank you, little brother."

By the time Sesshoumaru had advanced towards the point where Inuyasha lay motionless, Kagome had lost all hope, her only hero now lay convulsing in his own unending nightmare. With her body beginning to tremble in fear, Kagome looked up into Sesshoumaru's cold eyes.

"I recognize this woman now," Sesshoumaru said, his voice a combination of insight and confusion. "How is it that your wench still lives in this world?"

"Drop dead and maybe I'll tell you," Inuyasha joked past the pain.

"Very amusing little brother, but I know ways of making even the most stubborn of men talk," he said as he stepped forwards and wrapped his right hand around Kagome's arm and pulled her off her feet. "I don't see this part of father's taste," he said as he looked down at Kagome's terrified form. "But I suppose that even he could have fooled himself into believing that mortals are somehow equal to ourselves, the truth is that I did – once," he said before he threw Kagome hard against the ground.

Inuyasha watched Kagome scream as her body struck the splintered wood, and even though the sight of Sesshoumaru attacking her was far worse than the pain in his body, there was nothing he could do to stop him.

"Tell me what power has brought you two before me," Sesshoumaru said as he pressed the point of the Tetsusaiga against Kagome's neck. When she did not answer, but only whimpered before his blade, Sesshoumaru became annoyed. "If you do not tell me, then you will die before the poison takes your lover," Sesshoumaru said as he raised his sword to strike her down.

Fighting through every urge in his body to just give up, Inuyasha rose to his feet. Even through the pain, he could sense the flow of the wind; and even through the torment of his body and his mind, he could find salvation in hope.

"You plan to summon up the Wind Scar against me," Sesshoumaru said as he prepared to destroy the insolent female that had denied him his curiosity. "Have you learned nothing, I will just neutralize it as I have done before," Sesshoumaru said as he turned his eyes away from Inuyasha and focused on the frightened girl before him.

As the blade of Sesshoumaru's sword moved through the air towards Kagome, the weapon reverted to its normal state and struck the girl across the waist, but did not cut her. As if sensing the evil within Sesshoumaru's heart, the Tetsusaiga refused to bare its full power to him.

**"Wind Scar!"** Inuyasha screamed as a powerful yellow energy radiated from his weapon, and raced towards Sesshoumaru.

With his sword returned to its weakened state, Sesshoumaru was unable to defend himself. The Wind Scar cut through his body – and tore him apart.

The Tenseiga pulsed.


	5. Chapter 5

"Lady Kaede," Kagome screamed as she carried Inuyasha's limp and motionless body in her arms. He was still alive; his feint heartbeat pounding against her shoulders was proof enough of that, however the poison continued to linger in his body – threatening to kill him. If Kaede did not know of a remedy, he would die.

Racing as fast her old legs could carry her, Kaede approached the young girl as she struggled under the weight of the much heavier hanyou. From the terrible cuts and savage bruises Kaede could tell that Inuyasha had been in a fight, although she did not know of what force from Kagome's era could have done such a thing. Despite his broken and twisted form, she also knew that Inuyasha had been dealt far worse injuries in the past, but what could have caused him to become so reliant on Kagome, and why was their such torture in his eyes?

"What hath happened to Inuyasha?" Kaede asked as she led Kagome into her simple hut.

"We were attacked, by a future version of Sesshoumaru. He injected his poison into Inuyasha," she said as she lowered the hanyou down off her shoulders and rested him against a futon in the far corner of the room. "Please Kaede, if we don't do something soon – he will die."

"You say that this be the work of Sesshoumaru, if that be the case, then there is but not that can be done for him my child," Kaede said as she looked down at the battle scared and half-dead Inuyasha. "Give to thou the sword Tetsusaiga, for it doth haveth healing properties. Other than what I haveth aforementioned, knoweth that only Inuyasha's will to live can keep him from the world of yonder damnation."

"Please don't die," Kagome gently said as she rested the reverted Tetsusaiga across Inuyasha's chest before taking his hands within hers. "I don't want you to die," she spoke as the first of many tears trickled down her cheek and splashed off her chin. "You are far to important to me," then, pausing for a short moment, she decided not to say what she couldn't help but feel.

I love you, she thought – but did not speak.

* * *

The daylight faded to darkness, and then rose again before Inuyasha found his strength enough to rise to his feet. Although the poison had ravaged his insides, and wrecked his body from within, he was his father's blood, and thus could stand strong against the pain.

Sliding the Tetsusaiga into its sheath, he pushed aside the simple reed cover that hung over the doorway of Kaede's hut, and stepped out into the early morning sun. Sitting with their backs against the slope of a nearby hill, Kagome and Sango stopped their conversation as they watched Inuyasha walk towards them.

"I was afraid you weren't going to make it," Kagome said through her smiling lips.

"I'm never going to be beaten by the likes of Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha boasted – before he quietly froze on his feat. Kagome also became silent as she watched Inuyasha turn his head away from her, and glare sternly into the horizon.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome gently said as she rose up from the soft grass to comfort him.

Seeing Kagome with her arms bared open to embrace him, Inuyasha stepped backwards. "I want to be left alone," he said as he turned away from her and slowly walked towards the solitude of the forest, leaving Kagome quietly watching after him.


	6. Chapter 6

Dusk seemed to fall so much faster under the cover of the heavy midsummer canopy, and Inuyasha's eyes peered from side to side as he studied the shadows that flickered in and out of his sight amongst the darkness. Lingering just under the perception of what he could sense was the distinct smell of what would soon become food.

Leaping upwards from the forest floor, and into the thick branches of a towering oak, Inuyasha looked out onto the wilderness before him. Sprayed out in front of him were the brilliant reds and yellows of the setting sun as it began to sink over the edge of the distant trees, and amongst the vegetation below him, he could see the outline of his prey. Dropping down from the branches of the oak, Inuyasha fell quietly into the bushes behind the creature.

The light sound of twigs snapping against the weight of the hanyou's agile feet echoed out to only the sharpest of ears, and the animal raised its head to look into the direction of the noise.

Squeezing his eyelids nearly closed to avoid the gold of his eyes from reflecting off the fading sun, Inuyasha patiently waited as he watched the deer search for him amongst the cover of vegetation.

Dropping its head back down to the forest floor, the deer again continued to feed in its false sense of security. Flying like thunder out of the bush, Inuyasha slashed its throat with his claws. A short spray of blood flayed out from the animal's flesh as it stumbled backwards, before falling to the ground; it's eyes blinking one last time.

Carefully watching over his kill, Inuyasha gathered firewood from the fallen trees around him. The summer had been dry and humid, so the wood caught quickly into flame when he ran his clawed fingers across the metal of his sword, and let the sparks fall against the kindling. Thrusting a wooden spear through the body of the animal, Inuyasha placed the deer up onto a spit and carefully rotated its body over the fire.

As the flesh slowly began to darken, Inuyasha heard a sound from the bush behind him. Nervously grasping the hilt of his sword, he stared into the direction of the noise. He was not far from the Bone Eaters Well, and as Sesshoumaru's words flowed within his mind, as they always flowed within his mind, he couldn't help but to become fearful.

Leaves rustled in the wind behind him, and he spun around as he swung the full power of his Tetsusaiga against the darkness. The wind energy of his weapon violently tore the vegetation from its roots, however no creature emerged from the destruction to challenge him.

"A little on edge now are we Inuyasha?" Miroku said as he emerged from the region of the forest where Inuyasha had heard the first sound.

"Dang it, I missed," Inuyasha said as he sat down next to the fire, and again began to rotate the spit.

"Sango tells me that you encountered Sesshoumaru in Kagome's era. I would like to hear the story first hand for myself if that is alright with you," Miroku said as he sat down next to the fire beside Inuyasha.

"Ask Kagome, I don't much feel like talking about it."

"I understand," Miroku said as he though about what Sango had told him earlier. It came as no surprise to Miroku that Inuyasha did not want to talk about such things, what man ever wants to talk about something such as death with another person. It is far too emotional to discuss with another man, and one cannot reveal fears such as these to the fairer sex. It is a man's place to be brave; so impossibly brave.

Starring aimlessly into the warm glow of the ragging fire, Miroku passed the fingers of his left hand over the covered palm of his right. He had intended to tell Inuyasha everything was going to be all right, and that destiny is not unchangeable; but then he decided not to. His own fate was still as uncertain, and terrifying, as Inuyasha's was now.

"Do you remember when I first met you and Kagome?" Miroku decide to say instead as he continued to stare into the glow of the fire.

"Of course. What does that have to do with anything?" Inuyasha said as he lifted the deer off of the fire and cut a piece off the leg for himself.

"I was just thinking of how much being with you people has changed me. I am no longer thinking about just myself, and I have come to believe that because of that, the Wind Tunnel doesn't frighten me as much as it use to," Miroku said as he gratefully accepted the piece of the deer's leg; even though Inuyasha hadn't offered it.

Awestruck by the disappearance of his meal, Inuyasha found himself tearing off another piece of the animal. "What has gotten into you Miroku, you are staring to sound exactly like Kagome."

"I didn't mean to," Miroku said. "It is just that I want you to know that even though you may wish to be alone in body, you are not alone in heart. Kagome, Sango, Shippo and myself are here by your side; whenever you need us to be there," Miroku said as he rose to his feet, and slowly began to walk back into the forest.

"Thank you," Inuyasha quietly said as he stared into the fire. After a few short moments of eating peacefully under the darkening sky, Inuyasha finished the portion of venison he held in his hands, and turned to tear another piece from his kill, however, it was not there.

"Miroku!"

* * *

Miroku pushed aside the hanging reed flap of the hut and walked into the room, the roasted body of a deer hanging across his shoulders. 

With Kirara curled up inside of her lap, Sango sat against the wall in the far corner of the room. "Did you find Inuyasha?" she asked as she watched Miroku move towards her.

"Yes," Miroku answered as he sat down next to Sango and gently scratched Kirara behind the ears. "He didn't feel much like talking though," Miroku said as he let the deer slide off his shoulders, and fall against the ground.

"Where did you get that?" Sango calmly asked as she tightened her arms around Kirara to prevent the fire cat from leaping towards the dead animal.

"I caught a deer for you my dear," Miroku said as a gentle dimple began to form on the edge of his smiling face. Sango softly laughed, and for that fleeting moment, both of them managed to forget about the pains of their world.

"I wonder if Kagome would like some of this as well," Sango said as she picked up the animal and carried it out of the hut; a patient Miroku, and a hungry Kirara following behind her. The first few stars had begun to rise against the darkened sky, and the glow of the crescent moon shone down onto them as they walked towards the small fire in the distance.

Kagome casually watched Sango and the rest walk towards her as she lay on the soft grass next to the fire. Leaning her head back against the ground, Kagome looked up into the endlessness of the night sky, and for only a short instant, thought she say Inuyasha's face in the outline of the stars. _I wonder what he is doing right now,_ Kagome thought.

"Any sign of Inuyasha yet," Sango asked as she rested the venison against the flame to warm the meat.

"No, not yet."

"That is strange," Miroku said. "You would think that he would be racing back here with great haste after I took his dinner from him." Sango laughed, however Kagome looked up towards Miroku with a silent gleam of desperation in her eyes.

"You were speaking to Inuyasha? What did he say?" she asked as she perked herself up off the ground to better hear Miroku's words.

"He didn't say much Kagome," Miroku said. Then, after waiting a few moments to think about what he was going to say that would help to put her mind at rest, he continued. "But he did tell me, to tell you, that he just needs some time to think about everything. After all, to be confronted with such a horrific destiny is difficult for anyone to bare, even someone as strong and stubborn as Inuyasha. He doesn't do this to hurt you, he just needs time to himself."

"I guess your probably right," Kagome said as she leaned her body back against the grass. Even thought Miroku's words brought her some comfort, she couldn't help but worry about him. _Don't you understand how difficult this is for me, to have come so close to loosing you? I just don't know why you can't let me try and help you get through this. The thought of Sesshoumaru taking your life like that, it is as scary for me as it is for you, _Kagome thought. And then, thinking the words that can only ever be safely thought, but never spoken, Kagome again formed the image of Inuyasha in the outline of the stars. _I love you, _she solemnly thought to herself.

"Why don't you try some of this Kagome," Sango said as she cut off a sizeable piece of deer for Kirara, as well as one for Shippo who had stepped into the range of the fire's light only a few moments earlier.

"That's alright," Kagome answered. "I'm not very hungry."

"What is the matter with Kagome?" Shippo asked as he viscously tore the venison into smaller pieces with his fangs.

"She is just worried about Inuyasha," Sango said.

"Don't worry about Inuyasha," Shippo exclaimed. "That dumb mutt can take care of himself, even if he is nothing but a dumb mutt."

Kagome softly laughed despite herself, and even though she continued to think about Inuyasha, she couldn't help but to feel slightly better.

Sliding her body up next to Miroku, Sango halfheartedly spoke into his ear. "Kagome is vulnerable now, I'm very proud of you for not trying to take advantage of her yet."

"I am insulted by the way you speak to me my dear sweet Miss Sango. Have you no faith in my good intentions," Miroku teased.

"What are you two talking about?" Kagome asked as she watched the two softly laugh amongst themselves.

"I bet that Miroku said something perverted," Shippo commented as he continued to gnaw at his meal.

"I resent that."

"We were just talking about idle things," Sango said. "It is starting to get late though, I think I will go get some sleep. Don't stay up all night waiting for Inuyasha."

"I will try and get some rest as well," Miroku mentioned as he rose to his feet and followed Sango into the inner reaches of the village.

Even Shippo and Kirara found that they could not avoid the allure of sleep, and they too left for their respective beds. Kagome was thus alone.

Watching the last few sparks cinder amongst the charred remains of the fire, Kagome looked up into the stars one last time before she followed after her friends.

"Please come back to me soon," Kagome softly whispered to herself as she walked into the darkness of the village.

_

* * *

_

Author notes: I guess I have been putting off writing these for a while now (the author notes that is). Now that I think about it, I probably should have written them way back in chapter 4, seeing as that is when most of the plot is set out.

Speaking of chapter 4, I have a rather interesting story to relate about it. When I first wrote that chapter I had intended for Kagome to spend the entire scene concealed within a rapidly draining bathtub. My intention was to add a level of humor and urgency as Kagome found herself coming closer and closer to being completely naked amongst the raging battle. However, around the end the story quite inevitably took a very dark turn, one that for the sake of my PG-13 rating I am not going to elaborate on. That coupled with the fact that the chapter was riddled with abrupt paragraphs caused me to do a thorough edit of the chapter.

As for the direction in which I intend to take this little tale that I have spun for myself, I would like to comment that this story has always been an Inuyasha, Kagome romance; although it may not seem like it now. If you don't believe me then go back and read chapter 1, that chapter is nothing but foreshadowing.


	7. Chapter 7

His stomach growled, and Inuyasha grumbled something under his breath about dismembering a certain Houshi. "Miroku better hope that I don't find him before Sesshoumaru finds me," and although he had intended it to be a joke, Inuyasha couldn't help but to fall further into depression by his own comment.

The truth of it was, he was afraid. Never before had his future seemed so bleak, to be torn apart by his own brother. Destiny had chosen his fate; there was no way to undo what had already been set into motion.

_This is foolishness, to be afraid of ones own shadow because of nothing more than a premonition of what could be a very distant future, _Inuyasha thought. But he knew that what he had experienced was more than a premonition, it was what is meant to be.

From the brush beside him, Inuyasha could hear the light noise of something moving through the woods. Holding his breath so as not to make a sound, he watched the stirring of the forest with focused eyes. Even through the darkness of the night, he could see the rustling of branches, and he could smell the scent of youkai.

Almost as swiftly as it had entered into Inuyasha's presence, the creature moved away from him through the vegetation. Inuyasha would have chased it down, and probably killed it with the Tetsusaiga, however there was no point; he did not waste his energy without just reason.

Pushing his way through the thick brush of the forest, Inuyasha came to a small clearing on the upper side of the mountain. Off in the distance of the valley, Inuyasha could see the many lights of a small city burning amongst the late night darkness.

From the direction of the city, Inuyasha could smell the taste of cooking food, and his stomach urged him to move forwards. He had about one sixth of a koku worth of coins in his pocket, and to spend a small fraction of that on some good food did not seem like a bad idea.

Leaping into the branches of the forest canopy, Inuyasha moved with demonic speed as he bounced from branch to branch through the wilderness.

Quickly approaching the vast farmlands surrounding the city, Inuyasha let his body fall from the trees, and he casually strode through the field towards the outer walls of the city. Against the horizon, the crescent moon shone clearly through the cloudless sky, and the stars seemed to radiate of their presence; but despite this, Inuyasha felt nothing towards such beauty, for it meant nothing to him anymore.

In the distance, Inuyasha could hear the smashing of stone, followed by the screams of women, and he quickened his pace._ If that is the creature I met in the forest, I'm never going to be able to forgive myself,_ he thought as he raced towards the city.

Upon reaching the outer walls, he leapt onto the parapet, and peered down into the city. Only a short distance away from where Inuyasha stood, the scent of youkai was only barely masked by the stench of fresh human blood. _Dam it all, _Inuyasha thought as he picked up the scent of that same youkai from the woods.

Leaping from rooftop to rooftop though the city, Inuyasha came to stand above the creature. Looking down from his perch atop a peasant home, Inuyasha watched the actions of the youkai. It slithered through the city streets, its long, narrow body flowing like water against the edges of the buildings.

Passing its tongue through its fangs and into the air, the creature seemed to pick up the scent of the hanyou standing above it, for it quickly turned its scaly head to stare at Inuyasha. "These creatures are mine. Get your own meal," it said through its strained, slimy voice.

"Your disgusting," Inuyasha remarked as he stepped towards the edge of the roof and withdrew the transformed Tetsusaiga from its sheath.

As Inuyasha prepared to leap towards the snake like youkai, and sever its body into bloodied shreds, a strong voice echoed through the darkness of the night. "Die you retched creature!" the voice screamed as she let an arrow fly from her bow. As the arrow flew through the air, it seemed to emanate the bright glow of countless souls.

Watching the missile approach, the creature attempted to twist its body out of the direction of the rapidly encroaching projectile, however the arrow seemed to change its very direction and home in on the creature's demonic heart. As the pointed tip began to pierce through its scaly exterior, the creature harshly screamed in pain before exploding in a brilliant surge of florescent light.

Looking towards the girl who's red and white robes flowed wildly against the force of the blast, Inuyasha froze in his spot. "Kikyo," he softly said.


End file.
